The Rebound of a Smile
by toomanyfeelsforapotato
Summary: Aomine Daiki, the legendary Teiko ace is now in Touou Academy, remaining his egotistical self. Not even his childhood friend, Momoi can get him to budge. That's when somebody comes back into his life. Naomi Akahana, one of his best friends from Teiko, is now his coach. Slowly, but surely, Aomine falls for her.. Aomine X OC
1. Chapter 1: We Meet Again

**CHAPTER 1- _We Meet Again_**

* * *

Aomine woke up to the usual shrieks from Momoi.

'Aomine-kun! You can't keep missing practice like this! We're playing Tetsu-kun's school soon and you're lazing around on the roof again!' Momoi absentmindedly twirled her pink hair as she punted him repeatedly with her toes until Aomine finally stood up.

'Satsuki. Why don't you ever just _let me be_?' Aomine held up a hand to stop her constant high pitched reprimanding. He groggily rubbed his eyes until they finally fluttered open.

'But, Aomine-kun! I told you we're going to meet the new coach, the one who'll be taking Harasawa-sama's place since he's leaving! She'll be helping me out with the match planning!' Momoi complained, him not knowing another piece of evidence he didn't turn up for practice the past three weeks.

His blue eyes widened, and he raised an eyebrow. 'But, Satsuki, you don't need any help with that, you're good enough to do that all by yourself!'

'Aww, Aomine-kun!' Momoi pulled his cheeks, as he sighed. 'As sweet I think it is for you to say that, the one who's coming over to help me get the team better is someone who basically taught me everything I know about information gathering and coaching a team! She was my friend from Teiko and she's the one who even made me want to help you six in the first place!'

Aomine's eyebrows remained perched and gave him an eternally surprised look as Momoi practically pulled him towards the court. He drew up a list of people who it could be, Atsusuki, Mikama, Akahana (though he doubted it, since she was in the States). Who was this friend anyways?

* * *

'Sakurai-kun, you're fine at the moment. Just remember, that Seirin has an equally good shooter, Hyuga-kun. Satsu-chan and I will research him, but we need you to keep up your current shooting rate if you want to beat Junpei. Understand? Wakamatsu-kun, you're up next.' The voice rang out around the closed court as Aomine's eyes searched for the one speaking those words.

His attention was immediately drawn to a slender figure sitting on a chair at the far side of the court. She wore a white shirt and a pencil was tucked behind her ear. Her dark hair came up to her chin and her fringe was swept to one side. Her legs were crossed, as her grey eyes followed Wakamatsu around the court as he shot the ball. Her eyes.

The eyes were the first thing that reminded him. Her glasses were gone, her hair was no longer in the same messy bun, but her eyes were the same. The same piercing eyes. Her eyes were the first thing that reminded him. Of those days he'd spent joking around with her, Satsuki and the team. Everybody had wondered where she'd gone until they all got postcards saying she had moved to the States.

He started to notice how she'd changed. She no longer looked so unsure of herself, the look in her eye everything but unsure. Naomi Akahana was no longer just a carefree girl who could fit in with anyone. She was a sophisticated, confident woman, who was ready to whip their team back in place, no matter what it took her to do it.

He was jolted back to reality by her clear voice shouting out again.

'You're all decent players, but do not underestimate Seirin. They've got Tetsu-chan, and while everybody might think that Taiga-kun is the real problem, you all have to keep in mind how dangerous their co-ordination can be.'

She raised her hand and gestured for the team to split into two. 'Practice match! Now wait one second. There should be one more player, correct?' She ran her finger through the list she had. She crossed her slender legs, frowning to herself. When she pouted, Aomine felt his cheeks getting unnaturally hot.

'Daiki…. Aomine?' Her grey eyes widened as Aomine cleared his throat.

'Here, Nao- sorry, Ms Akahana.' Aomine stammered, thinking he couldn't be as casual with her in front of his entire team.

But, from the wild glint in her eyes as she ran towards him, Naomi did not seem to have any restrictions. 'Aominecchi!' she screamed as she crushed him in a bear hug, nearly choking him.

'_Naomi_! My entire team is here!' The nickname that Kise and Naomi had given him at always annoyed him to no end. When Kise had first started calling him that, Naomi picked it up too, knowing how much it made him want to punch someone because that was just the kind of person she was.

'So what, _Aominecchi_? Doesn't your team know how you blush when Ryo-chan and I call you that?' Naomi pulled his cheeks, and with the scowl no longer on his face, the Touou team broke into peals of laughter, seeing their ace turn into an equivalent of a teddy bear for their new coach.

Momoi cleared her throat, trying to keep herself from laughing, key word- trying, as she jerked her head towards the court, reminding Akahana about the job at hand.

Naomi's face immediately changed, her easy going expression now turning into something that into one that a look alone would make Sakurai cry and apologize.

'Dai-chan,' she started, and Aomine could tell that she wasn't happy, because she only called him Dai-chan when he was annoying her,' Satsu-chan tells me you don't turn up for practice? Do you think you're really good enough on your own?' She pushed a finger against Aomine's lips, anticipating the oncoming, "The only one who can beat me is me."

'All of the members Teiko team have got their own talents. Tetsu-chan's is the most perplexing.' Naomi face palmed at having mentioned Kuroko in front of Satsuki who now was hyperventilating.

Signaling for Imayoshi to take her out for a bit of fresh air, she continued. 'Satsu-chan and I can never figure out what he does, and considering we can predict _your _movements, that should tell you how much you need to be wary of him. Kagami-kun and Tetsu-chan already beat Ryo-chan and Shin-chan, those two were good players too. Now, Dai-chan, do you plan on missing even a single practice from now?' Jabbing a finger at him, she glared at him until he finally cracked.

'O-okay, Naomi. I won't miss practice anymore.' As Daiki stuttered, a collective gasp rose from the team members watching. Nobody had seen Aomine ever agree with anyone else. Even Momoi was never able to get Aomine to attend practice!

'Now then, I'll divide the groups. Sakurai, Imayoshi pick your team-mates. Wakamatsu, Aominecchi, you're together, you've got to learn how to work together.' As Kosuke stared at her in disbelief, she sat down next to Momoi and began discussing something in a hushed voice and was furiously writing.

* * *

Aomine, as expected, crushed the other team, even with Imayoshi and Sakurai on their side. However during the entire game, he wasn't really doing his best. But it wasn't the fact that he'd crush them and all their hope of ever playing basketball again, it was that he kept getting distracted by her. As he sat down holding the broken hoop in his hand, he found his gaze unconsciously shifting to Naomi, and he began to notice all the little things he had never noticed back in Teiko.

The way her face lit up when she'd smile. The way her laugh would make you laugh too. The way she'd bite her lip while thinking. The way that she'd absentmindedly flick her hair out of her face. The way she'd cross her legs and tap the heel of her leg against the floor when she was bored. The way she'd slowly turn red, from the edges of her cheek to the tip of her delicate nose when she was angry. The way that with every little thing she did, she'd look even more beautiful.

And for some reason, Aomine Daiki, the Touou ace, could not stop looking at Naomi Akahana.


	2. Chapter 2: Remembrances

**CHAPTER 2- _Remembrances_**

* * *

'Good game, Aominecchi! Though, you really should stop breaking all these hoops. Principal Mikami isn't going to be happy. But, I guess there's nothing we can do about that.' Naomi smiled; her hand on his shoulder.

Before Aomine could say something, Momoi butted in. 'Nao-chan, Dai-chan, so tonight, at 8, right?'

Aomine asked, '8? Naomi, Satsuki, what's going on? 'He raised an eyebrow; he'd done that a lot today.

Naomi laughed. 'Didn't you notice that Satsu-chan and I were making phone calls and noting down stuff? Wondered what we were doing?'

'Match planning? Isn't that what the coach and manager are _supposed _to do?' Aomine grumbled, plopping down on the floor, still a wee bit sleepy.

'Ah, c'mon, loosen up a bit! I was thinking since it's been years since we guys have seen each other, why not get the entire team together? I called up Ryo-chan, Sei-chan, Atsu-chan and Shin-chan and they've all agreed to come!'

Naomi inched a little bit closer and whispered in his ear, slightly laughing. 'Satsu-chan was the one who called Tetsu-chan.'

'Understandable.' Aomine laughed at his childhood friend's obsession with Kuroko and Naomi joined him on the floor, uncontrollably giggling.

The trio left for home after they finally decided to meet at the restaurant next to Seirin, as Naomi hoped to get a glimpse of the players to decide how to tackle them on the court. Always the calculating mind.

* * *

'_Akashicchi_? You came?' Kise was visibly surprised and annoyed because Akashi had never turned up anytime he had decided to take the team out.

'It _was_ Naomi who called, Kise. I haven't seen her in years, and we _were_ good friends back in Teiko.' Akashi said, his head lazily resting on his hand.

Akashi was always the loner in Teiko, the antisocial mastermind. He abhorred Naomi at first, her cheerful attitude and her. Things changed when he found out that the hyper side of her wasn't all. She was someone like him, extremely smart, calculating and a good decision maker. Long debates with her and Midorima were what they bonded over, when the rest of the team looked on with a WTF expression.

'Yes, Akashicchi, it was Naomi who called. So, where is she?' Kise grumbled in an exasperated tone, impatient at meeting one of his best friends after so many years.

Kise was Naomi's first friend, even before Momoi, and Naomi was Kise's first actual friend. It was because of her plans and strategies that he was even on the team in the first place. He introduced her to the rest of the team, but they had always maintained the fact that that Kise and Naomi were best friends, their friendship second to no one.

Midorima sighed, adjusting Kise's badly tied tie. 'Kise, you _baka_, learn how to do this. My five year old brother knows how to tie this, even Takao does, and that's saying a lot, considering that simplistic fool can't tell when I'm tricking him.'

To Midorima, apart from Akashi, Naomi was the only one who could rival his intelligence. Akashi and Naomi always stood first, not a half point difference between the two, Midorima was always stuck on second. Their friendship started when Midorima had gone upto her and asked how she beat him and always equaled Akashi, something he could never manage. Surprisingly, they became friends soon.

'It'll be nice to see Naomi-chan again, won't it?' Kuroko spoke quietly from beside Aomine inviting shrieks from the team who apparently hadn't noticed him.

Kuroko owed his abilities to Naomi just as much as he owed it to Akashi. Contrary to what everyone believed, Naomi and Akashi had worked together to make use of his lack of presence and turned it into a weapon that Aomine had sharpened. Kuroko had always thought of her as a sister, she wasn't like the extremely hyper Momoi, but neither was she as cold as Akashi. She and Kuroko got on famously, to the point where Momoi had once gotten jealous. Kuroko had always been one of her best friends, her quiet and sophisticated nature breaking out each time they'd be together. However, nobody on the team thought of her in _that_ way, because everybody knew that Aomine was hopelessly in love with Naomi, except Naomi.

'If she doesn't come, dibs on her share of the food. Murasakibara lazily picked a crisp and chomped it down.

Murasakibara and Naomi's was the easiest to comprehend. It didn't have the intellectual bonding, or the spiritual bonding. Food. That's what they bonded over. The one thing that she did, which made him respect her more than he respected anybody, was to beat him in a candy eating competition. That's it. Murasakibara held her on a high pedestal ever since then.

'How much like her. She calls us all and doesn't show up herself. And to think I skipped sleeping the entire day for this.' Aomine said drowsily, and banged his head on the table lightly.

Aomine was always in love with Naomi. It started when they were back in Teiko, the first time that Kise had introduced them. Other than the team, no one knew, everyone assuming he didn't because she didn't fall under his 'big boobs' category. To tell the truth, it was something he made up. no matter how egotistical and how much of an idiot he was, he as a different kind of idiot. Aomine was an 'idiotic fool who can't tell an amazing girl about how he feels just because he's scared of whether she'll judo flip him', as Midorima used to so eloquently put it. When she moved away, he assumed that he had moved on too. It wasn't until this morning that he realized how much he still loved her.

Evryone assumed that he loved her for how perfect she was. But that wasn't why he did. It was her imperfections. Her ability to make everyone like her, and to be friends with everyone led everyone to think hat she was a Mary Sue. Someone who was perfect in every way. And they assumed that he loved her for her perfection, but the way he knew that he truly loved her was because he loved her even though she could be irritated easily, or had a habit of smashing things when she was angry and despite how scary she was when she cried. Because just like the line from one of her favorite books, you don't love someone because they're perfect, you love them in spite of the fact they aren't. His thoughts were interrupted by her hand on his shoulder.

* * *

'Aominecchi, I'm here now. Happy?' She smirked at Aomine and smiled at the other five wide mouthed idiots staring at her.

She wore a purple dress that barely reached her knee, and Momoi had styled her hair to make it curl just at the end. She stood out from the crowd, all it took was one look into those stormy grey eyes of hers and you'd lose yourself in her beauty. She had clipped her fringe back and was looking over her old gang with an air of elegance they had never seen before.

'Ah, stop staring already! Satsu-chan went overboard, I look ridiculous, I know!' Naomi sighed, shooting an an angry glance at Momoi who shrieked that she looked beautiful.

'She's right, Naomicchi! It's so nice to see you again! I missed you so much!' Kise got the ball rolling and soon everyone there had gotten a hug from her, and Aomine seemed extremely awkward about it.

The dinner went by quickly, Mura being the quietest of them all, only hogging everything in sight.

'So Naomi-chan, you're coaching Touou now?' Kuroko asked.

When she nodded, loud whispers came her way, 'Shutoko!', 'Come over to Rakuzan!', 'Naomicchi, just join Kaijo already, you're _my _best friend, not Aominecchi's!', 'Go Yosen!', 'Naomi-chan, you should have joined Seirin!'

Aomine held up a hand and grunted, quieting down the rest of the team. 'Ey! Naomi isn't leaving Touou. Satsuki and I won't let her.' The tone in his voice was familiar to everyone, a tone which meant no discussions.

Akashi nudged her with his elbow and said, 'No matter how adamant your boyfriend is, I'm still not giving up on you joining Rakuzan.

As if preplanned, both Aomine and Naomi turned red in an instant.

'SEI-CHAN!' She jabbed him in the ribs and scolded.

'AKASHI!' Aomine fumed, his red face and shockingly blue hair in contrast.

They screamed together, attracting the whole restaurant's attention, 'We are not boyfriend and girlfriend!'

The only reason Kise didn't go home that night with a painful bump on his head that night was because nobody except Midorima, who stifled a laugh heard him whisper, 'Yet.'

* * *

The rest of the team left separately, but since Aomine had promised to drop her off home, the two were left alone. They split the bill, though Naomi insisted to pay.

'Shin-chan! I thought you left?' Naomi rolled her eyes as she noticed Midorima spying on the two from a corner just as she was about to put on her helmet and get onto Aomine's bike.

'The rest of you can come out as well.' Naomi face palmed as everyone came out from behind a street corner, including to her disappointment, Momoi.

'Et tu, Satsu? Anyways, there is _nothing _going on between Aominecchi and I! Stop acting like you guys ship us or something!' She sighed when everyone nodded in unison, signalling them shipping the pair.

* * *

As Aomine screeched past on his bike, she screamed to the gang, 'This was fun, though! We should do this again!' The rest of them waved back, before splitting up.

* * *

'YOUR DRIVING IS HORRIBLE!' That one line became the only thing that Naomi could screech when Aomine showed off his terrible driving skills to her for the next 15 minutes, barely missing trucks and screeching to stops at traffic lights. He got her home 2 times faster, but she felt like she nearly died about 20 times.

'It's 9:55 now. Still 5 minutes before Mr. Akahana usually wants you home.' Aomine checked his watch and smiled at her.

'How did you know? That 10:00 is my curfew?' Naomi was visibly surprised at how Aomine knew this is in the first place.

'You told me, back in umm... sixth grade? When everyone was at Kise's birthday party and you said you had to go home soon because your dad wanted you home by 10:00 usually.' Aomine said earnestly.

'You remember? Wow, Aominecchi, even _I _don't remember that!' Naomi grinned at how this forgetful dork remembered something from that long back.

'Anyways, thanks for getting me home!' She planted a kiss on his cheek and under the cover of the darkness, she didn't notice his fist closing and punching the air. Waving one last time, she turned and went inside her house, to be greeted with a poke from her brother, Keiji.

He waited a minute, just outside her house, right beneath her window, the silence giving him an opportunity to listen, though he didn't mean to.

'You're finally back, Nao. You went out with your boyfriend and that basketball gang again, no?'

'I'v got these stupid heels which have been killing me all night in my hands, I will not hesitate to throw these at your head, Onii Chan. He is _not _my boyfriend!'

'Whatever, you're in denial. I ship you both, though.' Keiji's tone was playful, but with the shriek that emanated from her bedroom a split second later, Naomi really _did _throw those heels at his head.

As he drove off into the not so silent anymore night, Aomine rolled his eyes at the fact she still didn't know he was in love with her. 'Everyone ships us, Naomi. Except you.'


	3. Chapter 3: Advice

**CHAPTER 3- ****_Advice_**

* * *

'_Dai-chan!' _Momoi nudged him as Naomi walked past giving them a little wave. 'Go tell her you're in love with her!'

'Shut up, Satsuki. It's not that simple, and you know it.' Aomine rolled his eyes for the fourteenth time, slowly walking towards Biology.

'Whatever, you're just a _scaredy-cat_!' Poking him one last time before wheeling around, she sighed. 'I've got Physics with Nao-chan. If you don't tell her, I will!'

'I'm kidding, you humourless coward.' Momoi had to add looking at Aomine's pale face at her previous exclamation.

* * *

'My life sucks.' That one line was what Aomine repeated to himself again and again throughout the day until he got home in the evening. He, being the most uncreative moron ever when it came to anything _other_ than basketball, had no idea how to go about his love life, especially since he didn't have one at the moment.

'Not asking Kise. Ever. All he'll do is sit and fangirl about how "AOMINECCHI AND NAOMICCHI ARE SOOO CUTE!' Crossing out his name from the list, he looked at what he'd been working on for the past half hour.

A dirty scrap of paper had these words scrawled on it:

_"Plans for my non-existent love life_

_To ask or not to ask for advice from following:  
-Akashi ~ Might actually put that eye of his to good use. -YES  
-__Midorima ~ NO WAY. All guy will do is ramble about how our signs are either compatible or not. -NO  
-Kuroko ~ A good guy, but may give me an extremely elaborate plan. -YES  
-Murasakibara~ Bribe with the new watermelon KitKat. -YES  
-Satsuki ~ Only if it isn't too girly. -MAYBE?  
-Kise ~ Only if I want to listen to an hour long lecture about how cute we are. -NO  
-Touou Team ~ Over my effing dead body. -NEVER"_

'So, first on the list is Akashi.' He pulled out his phone and punched in a mildly familiar number.

* * *

'I'm in the middle of an extremely interesting chess match against myself and the only reason I picked up the phone is because the constant beeping can reduce my thinking capabilities by up to 3%. Better be good.'

Aomine quickly explained his predicament.

'So you want me to use my Emperor Eye for _you, _so _you_ can ask out a girl who you have no balls to ask out on your own?' Akashi asked in an incredulous tone.

'Uh uh.'

'Aomine, even for your levels of stupidity, this is extremely high. First off, Naomi deserves a guy who isn't afraid of asking her out. Remember those poor chaps back in Teiko, I think in total about 15, the guys who wanted to date her, _before_ we got have a uhh... let's say talk with them? Well, as stupid as they were, they at least could walk up to her and talk to her without blushing every fifteen seconds, Daiki.'

'No fair, Akashi! Help me, for old times sake!' Aomine was desperate.

'Man up, Aomine. You might be scary on the field, but when it comes to girls, you're worse than that damned puppy Kuro carries around. _Sayonara._'

As the beep signalled his former captain hanging up in exasperation, Aomine muttered under his breath. 'Three more to go.'

* * *

'Who are _you_?' Aomine made a face as an unfamiliar voice picked up Tetsu's phone.

'This is Kagami. Who are you?'

'What the _fuck_ is a Taiga?' Aomine cracked a smile as Taiga screamed 'AHO-MINE, YOU KNOW BLOODY WELL!' before tossing the phone to a laughing Kuroko.

'Thanks for that, Aomine-kun. Now he'll get angry and will probably break that poor hoop again.' Kuroko settled down on a bench as the Seirin team went on with practice.

'I need your help, Tetsu.' Aomine curled up on a chair, and bit his lip.

'Is it about Naomi-chan?'

'Is it _that _obvious?'

'It apparently is, to everyone _except _Naomi-chan. Your life sucks, Aomine-kun.' Kuroko was blunt, and Aomine knew that it was true, his life _really _did suck.

'And _that's_ where you come in. _You're_ going to make my dream of a love life become a reality.'

'So basically, the fact is that you're a scaredy-cat who needs help on how to talk in front of a girl, Aomine-kun. Akashi-kun was right about that.'

'He called you?' Slamming his head into his pillow, Aomine sighed. Would no one help him?

'He told me to help you "man up" and "stop being a cowardly slob".' Kuroko thought for a while before adding, to Daiki's relief, 'But, I can't stand you being _so pathetic_. So I'll help you out, Aomine-kun.'

'TETSU! YOU'RE DEFINITELY MY FAVORITE! YOU'RE ALSO MY FAVORITE SHADOW!' Aomine's grin spread all across his face until his cheeks started to hurt.

'I'm your only shadow, Aomine-kun. Also, I _was._ I have Kagami-kun now. He's a nice light.'

Aomine held the phone away from his ear as Kagami screamed, 'HEAR THAT, AHO-MINE? _KUROKO IS MY SHADOW_!'

'Has that red haired abomination been listening all this while?' Daiki calmed down when he told him that the coach had just slammed him for headbutting the hoop again, so he was on the bench.

'So now, Tetsu. Your plan?'

It took about 6 minutes for Kuroko to explain the plan briefly until Aomine's head began to whirl.

'A box of chocolates, take her out to a restaurant, buy her something nice, get her flowers, make the night special, use fireworks and _how on Earth do you even pronounce that Tetsu?_ You do realise I'm not asking her to marry me?'

'That's all I've got, Aomine-kun. Surely the others should give you some ideas. Good luck, Aomine-kun. _Sayonara.'_

As Tetsu too hung up on him, he cut his name off the list, now just two names remaining. 'Mura, please be useful,' he prayed before dialling another number.

* * *

'Murasakibara?'

'Mmm?'

'Uh, yeah. Aomine here. I need your help. It's about Naomi.'

'Mmmnmmmm mmnmnmm mmmnmmnm?'

'Is that a human language, Mura? Please don't tell me you're chowing down something right now.'

In reply, he got something which could probably pass off for 'Obviously.'

He lost his patience thirty seconds later. 'Mura, if you do not finish eating in the next minute, I will personally come down to Yosen and shove that, _whatever _you're eating right now, down your throat.'

'Mine-chin is boring when he's dumb. I never eat while I'm on the phone, talking gets in the way of my candy. I'm toying with you.' Mura made a sound that might have been a chuckle, or him choking on his food.

'Are you going to help me or not?' Aomine received a grunt of approval in return and listened to Murasakibara's plan.

'Bribe her with candy. Give her the new lemon flavored jellies from the candy shop near Yosen; they're better than the mango ones because the mango had too much infused sweetness, whereas the lemon's acidity balances out all the sugar added to the jelly, making it the perfect snack. It'll make you irresistible, I swear.'

'Mura. Dafuq? We're talking about Naomi here, not you. Got any better ideas?' Aomine knew the answer before it came.

The line was silent and Aomine sighed.

'Atsushi, are you shaking your head right now?' As there was no reply, he asked again.

'Are you nodding a yes now, Mura?' It was finally Tatsuya who had to pick up the phone and tell him that Murasakibara was resorting to primitive signals to convey a message.

Sighing, this time it was Aomine who hung up.'Satsuki, your turn.' He dialled a number which frankly, he could recite in his sleep.

* * *

'So you finally came to me for advice! Ever since Sei-kun told me, I've been waiting for you to call! Now then, what have you decided on? My Tetsu-kun would have given some amazing ideas, and you should act on them!'

'Not really, Satsuki. I'm sort of depending on you. Please help me.'

'Dai-chan! You don't get it, do you? Naomi will see through any plan that we make, she'll know it was really us, not you. That's not going to help your chances with her. Go with your heart. It may sound weird coming from an information gatherer, but don't make a plan and stick to it. What you should do is simply ask her to meet you somewhere, and then do what you feel like. That's what she'll love. Nao-chan will love you for who you are, so don't try to be something you're not.'

'Woah, Satsuki, why so philosophical?' Afraid he'd make her shriek, he quickly added, 'Just kidding. Best advice I've heard all day.'

'Now, get you lazy ass up and get ready for tomorrow. That's when you'll tell her!'

'_SATSUKI!'_ Aomine's protest was cut off by Momoi badly faking the call breaking up.

'Da-i-ch-n-ba-ad-co-nnec-ction-wi-l-ca-ll-a-ter.'

And then his now warm phone beeped, not because she hung up(which she _did _do though), but because his attempt to salvage his love life left his phone out of charge.

* * *

Plugging in the charger, Aomine left his phone on the table. He yawned and looked at the time and plopped down on his bed, exhausted. Usually, he'd pull of his shirt and sleep that way till morning, but the winter chill had set in. He pulled out two heavy blankets and cocooned himself in their warmth, his sapphire hair the only thing visible under layers of sheets.

He rolled over to his side, his tired eyes drooping. He slept soundly, and thought like everyday, would sleep the same way until that annoying alarm of his would wake him up. But of course, tonight was going to be different.

* * *

His phone belted out a Granrodeo song as Aomine stared at it in disbelief.

It was 1 AM. Who was stupid enough to call someone at _1 AM?_

'Daiki. Whoever this is, you should have a pretty good reason for calling me at 1 AM.'

'Oha Asa says that early hours are the best hours for Cancers like me.'

'Shintarō. The only reason I'm not punching you right now is because I'm sleepy. Did Satsuki put you up to this?'

'Yes, Captain Obvious. And Akashi called too. He said you were being a spineless baka, I said you were always one. He then told me you were being even more of a spineless Baka than usual, and I decided that this was extremely important so I called you at an auspicious hour.'

'I will murder you slowly.'

'As expected. Oha Asa predicted irritability for Virgos such as yourself due to emotional insecurity.'

'And you're here to tell me whether on whether not Naomi's sign is compatible with mine?'

'Luck is on your side. Leos and Virgos go together fine. And now you've run out of your excuses. Don't depend on us, you baka. If you want to tell her, do it yourself. We guys are going to sit here and ship. Naomi deserves a boyfriend who can at least express what he feels. Sayonara, Baka.'

'Thanks, Midorima.'

'Don't mention it. Like seriously, never. And look for the numbers 86 and 21 and the colours pink and yellow. They're your lucky ones. Bye.'

'I still hate you though. 1 AM. Goddamit Shintarō.'

But this time, he didn't have to wait for the beep of his phone, he was already sprawled out on the bed, his sheets pulled to one side.

* * *

Aomine woke up to a bucket full of cold water dumped on him.

'What the fuck are you doing in my house, Satsuki?' He threw the now empty bucket and the slender, pink haired figure at the foot of his bed and she ducked.

'It's _11 _AM. You didn't pick up the phone. I thought you were dead!'

'As if. You just wanted an excuse to do this.' He pulled of his soaked shirt and threw it in the laundry basket across the room, barely even looking. Momoi threw him another shirt and he ran his fingers through his wet hair as he put it on.

'I actually cared this time, dumbass.' She stuck her tongue at him and stepped out of the room for a minute while he changed out of the rest of his soggy clothes.

She jabbed him in the ribs once he came out of his room, toweling his deep blue hair dry. Ignoring his wince, she asked him, 'So, do you know what you're going to do?'

'Nah. I think I'm going to wing it, Satsuki.'

'You _baka_. At least get her a present, it's her birthday.'

'I knew that already.' It was now his turn to stick his tongue out at her, of course he knew.

The thing was, he _did_ make a plan. And everything revolved around the present. He could only hope that she'd like it.


	4. Chapter 4: Surprise!

**A/N: _Hello! I'm sorry for the incredibly long wait, because I've had tests nearly every other day for the past month. Anyways, thank you all for reviewing, following, and favouriting, the support means a lot to me! In this chapter, I wanted to make it clear that towards the end of it, anything that Kagami, Alex, Tatsuya and Naomi say to each other, if it's in italics completely, it means they're speaking in English. I hope you enjoy the chapter, and keep sending me your feedback!_**

* * *

**CHAPTER 4- _Surprise!_**

* * *

Naomi hummed her favorite song as she walked down the crowded school corridor. She skipped towards her locker and neatly placed the books in her hands into them, retrieving the ones she needed for the next class.

'Ey, Naomi.' Aomine leaned against her locker and tilted his head against the cold metal.

She raised her eyebrows and jerked her head to say, 'What is it?' so she could continue humming.

'Don't act smart with me.' He smiled and put an arm around her. 'Happy birthday!'

Naomi spun around and grinned as wide as she could. 'Aominecchi remembered something that _wasn't_ basketball related? How much did you change when I wasn't here?' When she laughed, she stuck her tongue out jokingly, which turned the tanned teen's cheeks ruby red.

'_Of course_ he remembered, Nao chan. It's _your_ birthday after all!' Momoi said from behind the duo and giggled at the '_SATSUKI!_' that both the students shrieked at the same time.

'I'm just playing with you both, calm down. Anyways, we're going to be late for History if you dawdle here any longer. And, before I forget Nao,' she said, enveloping her in a bear hug causing Aomine to take a few steps back to stay clear of the manager's love, '_HAPPY BIRTHDAY!~'_

'I can't believe both of them remembered, since I forgot myself, Ah well, this is why I love them.' Naomi thought to himself as she smacked aomine over his head for forgetting his homework. _Again_.

* * *

Naomi smiled to herself during the break as she neatly put all the chocolates and cards she received from the boys of the class in her bag. Aomine however was fuming at his classmates and Momoi was suppressing giggles.

'Aominecchi, are you alright?' She asked in a concerned tone.

He brushed off her worries with a flick of his hand.

A sudden blast of rock music made the entire class jump and Akahana's cheeks flared with embarrassment as she quickly answered the phone without bothering to check who it was. She instantly regretted the decision and held her cell away from her ear after turning the volume down.

'_NAOMICCHI!~Tanjoubi omedetou!~'_

'Ryo-chan, thank you!' She gushed, happy that her best friend took the time out of his modelling schedule to call her.

'Oi, Kise. Next time, try not to make her and everyone in a 10 mile radius go deaf.'

'Aominecchi is so mean!'

Naomi put her hand on his mouth to stop him from interrupting their conversation and continued talking until she could hear shrieks of, 'Kasamatsu-senpai, i was just talking to a friend!' and then Kise's side of the call spiralled of into shrieks of pain.

She bit her lip to keep herself from laughing, and promised to call the golden haired model when she was free.

'Was that Ki-chan?' Momoi walked into the room and looked at Aomine questioningly.

Her eyes widened when he nodded and she made a few signals by moving her fingers to which Aomine replied by shaking his head much to Momoi's relief.

Naomi hadn't noticed the wordless conversation between the two as she was too busy mass messaging a, 'Thank you very much!' to everyone who kept texting her wishes.

* * *

'Nao chan, you're coming home with me today.' The pink haired girl slid onto Naomi's desk as soon as the bell that signalled the end of schooling hours rang.

'But-' Momoi raised a hand cutting of the girl's objections.

'Your parents aren't home, so we'll pick up Keiji on the way home and Oka-san said she's baking a cake for you. No ifs and buts, we already decided this, Nao.'

Naomi put up her hands as a sign of defeat and sighed with mock disappointment which made Satsuki crack a smile.

* * *

Naomi fumbled for the key to her house as she finally dug it out of her bag. Before she could slide it into the keyhole, Momoi leaned against it slightly, and the door swung open.

She sighed and shrieked, 'Keiji, you dumbass! You left the door open again!' as she marveled at her brother's stupidity.

Her brother threw a pillow at her as he sighed, 'I locked it, but there was a red haired guy who kept waving these scissors at me who picked the lock in like a minute.'

'Sei chan was here?' She was puzzled.

'You both can sit here and spew your sibling love at each other . I want something to eaaaaat~' Momoi sang as she skipped off towards the kitchen.

* * *

Momoi quickly closed the kitchen door behind her as she looked at the old team standing in front of her.

'Akashi-kun, is everything ready?'

'It is, Satsuki. But we do have three extra people here.' The redhead pointed to a fuming Kagami, and surprised Tatsuya and Alex.

'Why is Kagamin here?'

'Because it's Naomi's birthday!'

'You know Nao chan?'

'We were neighbours!'

'Oh really?' Momoi seemed surprised. 'She never told me that...'

'Anyway, why are _you all_ here at Naomi's house?'

Akashi's voice was incredulous. 'Well, _maybe_ because she was with us as Teiko?'

'_WHAT?_' Kagami sat down and bit his lip after realising that one of his best friends called the people he swore to defeat _her _best friends.

However, Alex seemed unfazed and she walked straight up to Aomine and said, '_Ooooh, tall Japanese boy. I li~ke!_'

Aomine ducked just in time, only to have Alex topple onto and kiss poor Kise standing behind him.

'_Model boy's not bad, either~'_ Alex sang and Kise stood dumbfounded behind her.

'Oi, Kagami, your teacher broke Kise. Take responsibility.'

'Alex has no sense of responsibility, so I'm not taking it for her.'

Alex didn't mind the talk behind her and proceeded to move towards a terrified Momoi who kept screeching, 'MY FIRST KISS IS FOR TETSU KUN!'

A forced cough from the doorway made everyone freeze. Naomi's eye twitched as she looked at the scene before her- Her best friends were in her kitchen, someone she thought of as a second mother was kissing them, two of them were screeching at each other, and the rest of them looked just about as done with the others as she did.

'_Okay. I think I'll come back later when there's less weird shit going on in my kitchen.'_ Naomi giggled as Mura pulled her back into the room as everyone screeched, 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY!' which trailed of into various, Naomi-san's, Nao-chan's, Naomi's, Na-chin's, and the loudest of them all, Naomicchi.

* * *

'Mura, don't eat all of her cake!'

'Mine-chin, shut up or I'll crush you.'

'Atsu chan, no crushing Aominecchi.'

'But crushing is fuuuuu~n!'

'No crushing.'

'Na-chin is mean.'

Mura licked the last of the chocolate of his fingers and pulled a bag of potato chips out and started munching on them.

Akashi cleared his throat and everyone fell silent, including the purple haired titan who put away his snacks.

'If everyone's done with the chaos in this room, lets move on to the presents. He pulled out a large, but not very heavy box from his bag. He handed the neatly gift wrapped box to Naomi, giving her one of his rare smiles.

'Shogi board?'

'Am I that obvious?'

'Yes, you are, Sei chan.' She giggled and gave him a hug before carefully placing the present on a table.

Midorima stepped forward next with a misshapen and heavy box which invited a collective groan of 'It's her lucky item.' from the crowded room.

'I'll cherish it, Shin chan! It's a very thoughtful gift, don't let these _bakas_ let you think otherwise.'

'Ah, thank you, Naomi. Happy birthday!'

No sooner had she put the second present aside, the candy eating giant bent down to give her a huge box of chocolates.

'sorry, but I ate nearly half, Nao chin.'

'It's alright, Atsu chan! Next time, you make up for it by buying me the new lemon flavoured jellies!'

Atsushi smirked and shot a look and Aomine that clearly said, 'I told you so.'

Momoi's shrieks and Kuroko's silent greetings were next.

'NAO CHAN! TETSU KUN AND I ARE GIVING YOU A PRESENT TOGETHER!'

Naomi tore off the light blue wrapping to uncover a large photo frame underneath. The photo itself was extremely nostalgic. Satsuki was elbowing Aomine in the ribs as he held his favorite magazine in his hand, Midorima was facepalming at the sight while Akashi urged him back to their game of Shogi. Mura was chomping on a candy bar as she had two in her mouth. Kuroko seemed bored by the proceedings as he sat on a basketball, remarkably balanced and he smiled at the person behind the camera, undoubtedly Nijimura senpai.

'Where did you find this?' Naomi shrieked in excitement as she hurriedly cleared the wall of pctures and hung up the one in her hand.

'It was in my old camera, I just forgot Nijimura senpai had it for the day! I was looking through it a while back and I found this.' Momoi said, excitedly.

Kagami cleared his throat to interrupt the shrieks of the two girls who had temporarily reverted to their middle schooll selves to take a little box out of his pocket.

'_Naomi, this is from the three of us. You had accidentally left it behind while moving back, and alex found it, We kept it safe, so now you should have it back.'_

_'Are you telling me you found...that?' _Naomi's eyes lit up as he she excitedly held her hands put for the box.

Kagami flicked the box open to reveal a silver ring placed neatly in the middle of the ring box.

The atmosphere of the room changed immediately. A black aura surrounded all the Kiseki members as Akashi cleared his throat and all the other cracked their fingers, ready for a fight. Aomine stretched his arm and was ready to put him in a chokehold.

'Atsushi, hand me those scissors of yours. It seems someone here needs them.'

Naomi screeched a second before Seijuro lunged at unaware Taiga.

'All of you have to calm down! Taiga is _not _proposing! The ring is something the three of us, Tatsuya, Taiga and I, kept as a symbol of our friendship. I left it behind when I moved back here, so they brought it back!'

'Oh. Apparently, I was mistaken.' Akashi shrugged and returned the scissors to Mura who cut open a bag of crisps.

With the air lighter, Naomi took the ring, which was on a chain, and put it around her neck, smiling at the glowing trio.

Akashi, however was glaring at Aomine with intensity that could kill. 'Daiki, do you not have something you wish to give her?'

Naomi smiled and shook her head. 'No, no, it's okay! I don't need a present! You guys being here is more than enough.'

'Oi, Naomi. You think I'm _that_ thickheaded? Of course I have something to give you!'

She cocked her head to a side and waited, but unlike the others, when he stretched out his hand, it was empty.

He grabbed her hand and grinned. 'Just not in front of these idiots.'

* * *

He pulled her out onto the street and in the dark of the falling night, they walked towards an old park, lit only by the silvery glow of the moonlight. HE asked her to close her eyes and turn around as he fiddled with something behind her back. 'What could it be?' she wondered until his rough voice finally rang out from behind her.

'Alright. You can turn around now.

She turned around to find Daiki sitting on the monkey bars with a red bow stuck on the tip of his nose. A shit eating grin was spread all over his face.

'Aominecchi?'

'Listen to what I have to say to you. Don't say anything until I'm done.'

She nodded, slightly confused and waited for him to continue.

'Straight to the point. I love you. I've always loved you. I've loved you ever since Kise pulled you into the gym, screaming your name. I've loved you ever since you and Momoi smacked me in front of the team for slacking off and reading my magazines. I've loved you ever since we argued in fourth grade and you cried when I apologized. I loved you even when you left. I loved you even when you came back. I loved you when you showed up in that purple dress that made you look even more ridiculously beautiful. I loved you for the little waves before classes. And, _I still love you_.

I've just never told you. I never told you, because I was afraid that someone as amazing as you would never fall for someone like me. And i was afraid that I was never good enough. Because I didn't want to ruin the friendship we had. But I can't do this any longer. I _had_ to tell you. I can change if you want me to. i can stop with the magazines, stop treating Wakamatsu like the way he should be, stop bullying Ryo around. But, at this point, all you've got is an idiot who is too much in love with you to do anything else. And I'm never going to be sure if I'm good enough.'

Naomi's mouth hung open and a deep red seeped into her cheeks which she tried her best to cover with her delicate hands. When she finally got a hold of herself, she smiled at the blue haired teen sitting across her.

'Straight to the point. I love you. I've always loved you. I've loved you ever since Kise me pulled into the gym, screaming my name. I've loved you ever since Momoi and I smacked you in front of the team for slacking off and reading your magazines. I've loved you ever since we argued in fourth grade and I cried when you apologized. I loved you even when I left. I loved you even when I came back. I loved you when you showed up in that ridiculous purple dress and you blushed as red as a tomato. I loved you for the little greetings before classes. And, _I still love you_.

I've just never told you. I never told you, because I was afraid that someone as amazing as you would never fall for someone like me. And I was afraid that I was never good enough. Because I didn't want to ruin the friendship we had. And I don't want you to change. You're the man I fell for, and I want you to remain that stupid dork with the stupid grin, who'd make me smile everyday.'

It was Aomine's turn to be surprised.

'So, where do we go from now?' Naomi asked.

Daiki regained his composure as he pulled her off the sandy ground. 'We could start, by you being my _girlfriend?_'

She pretended to think about it as she turned towards him. She looked at him, and pulled him down by his tie. 'You're too damn tall.'

She wrapped her arms around him as they kissed and for a while, nothing mattered. It didn't matter that Momoi and the rest of the team were hooting. It didn't matter that both their cheeks were burning. What mattered was how he noticed the perfume she was wearing. What mattered was that she noticed that he smelled of asphalt and basketball courts. What mattered was that they were together now. And that was all they wanted.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5: Time Skip**

'Daiki!' Naomi's clear voice cut through the silence of their morning routine.

'What is it, Naomi?' Aomine replied with a smile on his face as his daughter clutched his finger, wrapping her whole palm with her tiny fingers around it.

'Have you fed Ayame yet?'

'No, but I will. Her milk hasn't cooled down yet, Naomi.'

He crinkled his eyes when he didn't get a reply and his face brightened when his wife walked out of their daughters room, a cool bottle of milk in hand.

Putting their nine month old on the couch, Aomine got up to take her in his arms and spin her around, and as shrieks and giggles filled their household, they both could have sworn that Ayame hasn't looked happier.

'Eh, Naomi, I've been thinking.'

'Thinking? I don't believe you.'

'Very funny, but I need to talk to you.'

'It's simple really, just open your mouth and let the words spill out.'

'Can you not be sarcastic?'

'Requesting miracles now, are we?'

As Aomine rolled his eyes, Naomi threw her head back and laughed. Planting a kiss on his forehead, she reassured him, 'I'm only joking honey.'

'I think Ayame's lonely.'

'She looks perfectly happy to me, but maybe you're right.'

'I think what she needs, is a sibling, and we could get started right away.' His eyes twinkled as Naomi rolled her eyes and gently thumped his back with a fist.

'_Daiki.'_

_**A/N: So this is it, the end of Naomi and Aomine for me! Thank you guys for all the support, you guys are the best! I'm currently writing a Midorima fic which I promise will be about 20 chapters long- **_ s/11144106/1/You-re-My-Lucky-Item_**. You guys can always read that one if you enjoy my writing. Again, thank you all for the review, favourites and follows, you all are amazing 3**_


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